Goalie Mask Maker Gary Warwick of Warwick Masks Interview

Today I had the opportunity to speak with Gary Warwick, a master mask builder and innovator who has been in the industry since its earliest days, and today serves some of the top pros like Ryan Miller, Marty Turco, Evgeni Nabokov and others.

It is an interesting interview that ranges from the beginnings of mask making to some of the newest innovations like sound dampening membranes borrowed from nuclear submarines.

A few highlights that surpirsed me:

To keep his logo on a mask the NHL would charge $40,000 per year. For a company making only 125 masks per year at less than $1000 each, that’s just an impossible barrier to entry.

In the last seven years or so he has had to make his masks larger to fit more padding in – as a result of composite sticks and increased shot velocities.

All manufacturers supplying NHL players must submit masks to testing by the league. This program began just last year.

Gary custom fits all his masks – selecting the best model and size for a goalie and padding it to the individual face. He has placed one of his mold kits in the mail and I will be making a mold of my face for him soon so I can get my first custom mask soon. We’ll document this whole process on the site.

For more information check out the Warwick Mask Company site – or call Gary yourself. He’s very friendly and generous with his time.